To approve the submission of a bid for the contract to deliver the South and Vale Home Improvement Agency and approve the provision of assistance to South and Vale to deal with a backlog of applications for Disabled Facilities Grants.

To recommend to Council that the budget is amended to take into account the provision of the HIA service to deliver the contract.

The Cabinet Member for Housing resolved to:

1. Approve the submission of the bid for a South & Vale Home Improvement Agency.

2. Delegate authority to the Director of Communities and People to submit the bid and enter into a contract up to a value of £1.8m in the event that the bid is successful.

3. Recommend to Council that the budget is amended to take into account the provision of the HIA service to deliver the contract.

4. Approve that the HIA assists South and Vale Council in reducing their backlog by carrying out 100 DFG cases and delegates approval to the Head of Regulatory Services & Community Safety to enter into a contract up to a value of £200k.

If the bid is successful, Oxford City Council’s delivery of the contract will bring income into the Council and enable the Council to provide support to Oxfordshire residents as specified in the terms of the contract. There will also be benefits to the NHS health system which will improve access for residents who live in Oxford.

Not to bid for the South and Vale Home Improvement Agency contract or provision of assistance to deal with their Disabled Facilities Grant backlog. This option was rejected as the aim of additional income to the Council, if the bid is successful, would not be realised and it would not allow the Council to assist in the provision of vital support to Oxfordshire residents.

Decision taken by Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing.